


Mind the Landline

by Rubadubababyoil



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Crying, Early Queen (Band), Established Relationship, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, let's pretend gay marriage was legal in the 1970s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:16:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26314789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubadubababyoil/pseuds/Rubadubababyoil
Summary: Brian swallowed hard, and said the first thing to come to mind. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”~~~Brian's proposal doesn't go quite as planned.
Relationships: Brian May/Freddie Mercury
Comments: 3
Kudos: 43
Collections: Maycury_Week_2020





	Mind the Landline

**Author's Note:**

> It's utter fluff alert, babes~ I haven't seen many maycury engagement fics, so it's time to fix that.

Brian was a romantic, but even he could admit that the thought came quicker to him than it did for most people. He wasn’t with Freddie very long at all before he was gazing at him with so much love threatening to burst from his heart that his mind thought of taking their relationship to the next level. Freddie was curled up on his chest, small in his arms and slumbering during a night when Brian couldn’t get to sleep for the life of him. Brian watched the fluttering of Freddie’s long, black lashes in his sleep, and he casually thought,  _ I’ll marry you one day.  _

His heart jumped forcefully in his chest, because he didn’t know where that thought came from. What was he thinking? Marriage would be so sudden—they weren’t together properly for two full years yet. Brian had dated his previous girlfriend much longer and marriage never crossed his mind. When would they even have time for a wedding, when they were constantly running back and forth between the recording studio and the tour bus? But then Freddie sighed and nuzzled into his chest, a peaceful little hum in his throat, and the thought settled into Brian’s brain as warmth ran down his limbs.  _ Marrying Freddie… _

They were friends for a few years before getting together, and Brian knew before they even started a relationship that Freddie would change his life. He fell for those dark eyes and impish grin instantly, and knew immediately that Freddie was like no one he’d ever met before. That was obvious to everyone who met him. Additionally, the band itself sort of felt like a marriage (they certainly fought enough), so would it really be that crazy to tie the knot with Freddie? The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to do it. Brian didn’t want to lose him, ever, and the idea of spending the rest of his life making Freddie happy was more enticing with each passing moment. Admittedly, when he was young and he imagined what it would be like to be an adult, he thought he would have a stable job with a wife and children, and not be a rockstar in a gay relationship, but he was so grateful that his life turned out this way. He wouldn’t change it for the world, wouldn’t change the paradoxically shy and gentle yet energetic and larger-than-life man he fell in love with. Brian wanted Freddie to be his, if he would have him.

His arms tightened around Freddie, and he looked down at him. Freddie’s top teeth peeked out over his bottom lip from being relaxed in sleep, and Brian pushed down the urge to squeeze him because he was so bloody cute. He looked up at the ceiling instead. He could have this every night, Freddie wrapped up safe in his arms and snuffling into his chest. He got to see the real Freddie Mercury, something very few people could say, and he never wanted to let him go. He wanted to keep seeing that gentle, vulnerable side no matter what happened with Queen. Brian wanted the band to be successful as long as possible, but he wanted assurance that their relationship would last beyond that, too. He was so in love with Freddie that he was regularly mocked by Roger and John when he stared at him with hearts in his eyes. He was as serious as could be about this, so...why shouldn’t he marry him? What was he waiting for? It wasn’t like they were teens in love. They were both adults with their own place, even if the flat was small. He had reasons to propose, but not one good reason  _ not  _ to.

It was all very simple, suddenly.

Brian inhaled sharply and looked down when he felt a hand rubbing his chest.

Freddie was blinking up at him sleepily, bangs hanging over his forehead and a trace of eyeliner smudged on his skin from the night before. He was cute as a button.

Brian took a calming breath, fondness threatening to spill out of his heart. “Hi, baby. Awake already?”

Freddie smiled lightly. “It’s morning, darling.”

Brian turned his head, and indeed saw hints of sunlight trying to break through their curtains. Was he really lost in thought all that time? It was three in the morning just a minute ago.

“You didn’t sleep at all, did you?” Freddie eyed him suspiciously.

Brian looked at the clock, and saw that it was approaching 7:30. “Um...no,” he gave in and told the truth. 

Freddie tutted and swatted his chest. “Brian!”

“Sorry,” he said, and it was difficult to act normally when he decided he was going to  _ propose  _ one day. He didn’t have a plan yet, but he wasn’t going to back down. “I was just thinking.”

He rolled his eyes affectionately. “As usual.”

It was a good thing that going through sleepless nights wasn’t uncommon for Brian, because Freddie didn’t suspect a thing, and attributed his daydreaming to being in a fog from lack of sleep. 

_ I’ll marry you, _ Brian kept thinking when he looked at Freddie that day.

Freddie eventually giggled. “Darling, you’ve been staring at me all day. More than usual, that is,” he said playfully. “I—mmf!”

He was cut off by Brian grasping his face and kissing him soundly. Brian needed to make love to him, show him what he felt while he couldn’t say it, not yet. He went a bit harder and faster than usual, with fiery passion running through veins, but Freddie didn’t mind at all. He was left exhausted with a sated grin on his face as Brian caressed his sweaty hair back from his face afterwards.

“What did I do to deserve that? Was I extra good today?” Freddie asked with a twinkle in his hazy eyes.

Brian kissed the top of his head. “So good, baby,” he mumbled into his hair.

“You’re silly, love.”

After that sleepless night, Brian began planning on how he would pop the question. The one thing he knew for sure was that it would be done behind closed doors. As open as Freddie’s stage persona could be was as private as his true self was. Their friends knew of their relationship, of course, but Freddie got embarrassed by overt romantic gestures and PDA. Sex jokes were fine, but extended kisses on the mouth made bright red rise to Freddie’s cheeks, and made Roger and John pretend to choke and gag. It surprised Brian at first, but then he remembered how painfully shy Freddie was when they first met backstage at a Smile performance, and it made sense. As much as Brian wanted to flaunt their relationship, he wasn’t going to make Freddie uncomfortable with a public proposal. 

(Besides, what if he said no?)

Actually, that possibility kicked Brian’s anxiety into high gear quite a lot these days.

“Do you love me, Bri?” Freddie would ask, needing to hear it often. Brian told him that yes, of course he loved him, but did Freddie’s need for reassurance mean he’d want to marry him? Not necessarily. Freddie was such a whirlwind, and Brian feared he wouldn’t want to settle down with an awkward space geek like him, even if he was technically a rockstar. Freddie wasn’t the only one with insecurities, regardless of how much he cuddled up to Brian and told him he loved him, too.

Brian was startled out of his reverie by Roger nudging his elbow.

“All right,” Roger said, handing him a beer. “What’s got your head in the clouds this time?”

It was a warm day on Ridge Farm, and Brian had wanted to get some fresh air while Freddie beat everyone at table tennis. He thought the outside air would clear his head, but it didn’t. He took the beer, biting the inside of his cheek and deliberating whether or not he should tell him what was going on. Then again, Roger was one of Freddie’s best friends; he would know if proposing was a good idea, and Brian was desperate to tell  _ someone _ and get a second opinion. 

He looked down at the bottle. “It’s about me and Freddie.”

From Brian’s peripheral vision, he saw Roger freeze. “You’re not planning on breaking up with him, are you?” he asked carefully, a hint of danger beneath his tone.

“No!” Brian said quickly. “No, the opposite.”

“Oh, good,” Roger relaxed, and then paused. He raised an eyebrow over his sunglasses. “What do you mean ‘the opposite’?”

Brian took a long sip of his beer.

Roger stared at him.

Brian kept drinking,

Roger sighed impatiently. “Brian,” he prompted.

He stopped drinking. He took a quick look around, ensuring no one was within earshot. Everyone else was inside, and the door behind them was closed completely. “I want to propose,” he said lowly, almost whispering. Acid sloshed around in his stomach.

There was a loud inhale, and then a cough as the beer went down the wrong pipe and made Roger wheeze. “Holy shit,” he said when he got his breath back.

Brian winced, his nerves causing him to feel queasy. “Thanks for the reassurance,” he muttered.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. He looked behind them, confirming the door remained shut, and spoke quietly, taking a step closer. “I was just surprised ‘cause it’s a little...fast.”

“I know,” he admitted. “That’s one of the reasons why I’m apprehensive.”

“What made you think of this in the first place?” Roger asked.

“Well, we were in bed—”

“Ugh, never mind,” Roger cut him off with a grimace.

“Not like that,” Brian dismissed, and if he weren’t so anxious, he would have laughed at the look on Roger’s face. “He was  _ sleeping.” _

“Ah, okay. Go on.”

Brian shot a quick glare at him. “Anyway. I couldn’t sleep, and I was just thinking…”  _ I was thinking that he’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, and I’m so lucky to get to hold him in my arms and wake up to his sweet smile every morning, and the thought of losing him terrifies me. _ “I’m really happy with what we have and I don’t want it to end. He makes me feel...I know I’ll never meet anyone else like him. He’s changed my life in so many ways, so why not one more?”

Roger’s face turned a little fond. He took a long sip of his beer.

“Why’re you staring at me?” he asked.

“I’m just thinking of when Freddie used to paint your nails as an excuse to hold your hand,” he said wistfully.

Liquid warmth oozed in Brian’s chest, and he remembered Freddie barging into his room in their shared flat with bottles of nail varnish and a bright smile. Brian remembered his heart beating loudly in his small bedroom as Freddie held his hand and went on happily about their stage costumes, and fearing his heartbeat was audible.

Roger whistled slowly. “Marriage...It’s not a bad idea, for you two.”

“It’s not?” Brian asked hesitantly. “I want you to be honest with me, Roger.”

“When have I lied to you about anything serious, or really anything at all?” he challenged.

Brian knew the answer. “Never,” he conceded.

“Right. Look,” he said, blue eyes earnest through his orange sunglasses, “you know Fred’s crazy about you. He’s happy with you, and you know him, he’s always afraid someone will leave him. If you ask him to marry you, he probably won’t believe you at first.”

His chest stung, because he also remembered the early days when Freddie was tense and quiet about whatever man was breaking his heart that week, and his insecurities only grew. The thought of him not believing that Brian would want him was upsetting, but not unlikely. 

“But I’d never lie about something like this,” he protested.

“I know,” Roger agreed. “But you know the pricks he used to date.”

“I do,” he said darkly.

“But,” Roger’s tone lightened, “you just have to be honest, and the moment he believes you, he’ll be over the moon.”

Brian looked down at the bottle again, but didn’t feel like drinking more. “You’re sure?”

“I can’t read his mind, but I know how he talks about you when you’re not around.”

He looked over at him. “And how’s that?”

“Like I wanna smack him for gushing so much,” Roger smirked.

Brian couldn’t stop himself from grinning, and he looked out to the expanse of the farm. He wasn’t any better. He could spend all day praising Freddie. Yet, his insecurity rose up. “He said he loves me, but that doesn’t mean he wants to marry me,” he said while looking out to the field.

“Brian,” Roger turned fully to him. “Don’t you remember how he acted when you were in hospital?”

He did. Freddie was a strong person, but Brian remembered his eyes, bloodshot and glassy with dark, deep circles under them as he sat by his bedside as much as possible. Brian remembered Freddie’s whispered cries when he thought he was asleep,  _ “I can’t lose you, Brian. Please get better. Please. I love you too much. I can’t do this.” _

Brian was taking better care of himself lately, and he did it for him. He couldn’t let his Freddie become so upset again. He couldn’t predict what the future would hold with their crazy career path, but he could give himself to Freddie and promise to be there as much as he can.

Roger groaned quietly beside him. “Great, he’s got hearts in his eyes again,” he said under his breath.

Brian snapped out of it. “I’m going to do it,” he said.

Roger smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Good, good. Got any plans for how to do it?”

“Not yet. Um, I think this is obvious, but don’t tell anyone about this.”

“I’m not a complete moron, Bri.”

Then, the sound of the door opening came from behind them, causing them both to spin around.

“Who wants to play snooker?” Freddie waltzed through the door. He stopped, shoe skidding on the ground, looking between the two of them. “Is something wrong?”

Damn, he must have looked stressed. “No,” Brian said. “We’re just talking.”

Roger was quick to change the mood. “C’mon, Fred, I’d be glad to play and let you win at snooker.”

_ “Let _ me win?” Freddie asked indignantly.

Brian sighed with relief, and he was safe for that day.

* * *

They completed the album after long nights and strained days of arguing over the songs. They all felt a bit mad by the end, but they did it, and had only a handful of weeks before they had to start promoting it. Brian was happy to be back home with Freddie, but now that music wasn’t a distraction, he was beginning to freak out a little bit about proposing. He was going to do it, but had yet to think of how, and it occurred to him that he had no idea what kind of ring to buy. 

Freddie wasn’t much of a jewelry person; he wore bracelets and necklaces, but because that was the current style. If jewelry wasn’t fashionable for men in a few years, Freddie would stop wearing it. Brian knew him well enough to know that. Would Freddie even want a ring? What kind of ring would he be willing to wear every day? Brian kept going back and forth between thinking an elaborate ring would be a great idea, or a plain one. The last thing he wanted was for Freddie to fake a smile and wear it to avoid hurting Brian’s feelings, but it wasn’t like Brian could come out and ask him. They never bought jewelry for each other before, and Freddie would probably become suspicious.

At the moment, Brian was lying on their bed with his eyes closed, trying and failing to relax. Freddie had gone out to shop as a treat for himself for finishing the album, so he’d probably be gone for at least a couple hours. Brian thought it would be a good opportunity to sit and think about proposing, but he was making himself anxious. His stomach hurt and his chest tingled unpleasantly as his mind concocted the worst case scenario of Freddie rejecting him entirely. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and releasing a sigh. He needed to get out of his head. He...maybe he could give Roger a call and ask about the ring. He knew Freddie’s fashion tastes well, and was the only person Brian could talk to about this. Talking about it might reassure him and give him ideas.

Brian sat on the edge of their bed and picked up the phone on their bedside table. He dialed the number and waited.

“Hello?”

“Roger?”

“Brian? You all right?”

“Yeah, fine,” he said, although it wasn’t completely true. “Are you alone right now?”

“Yeah, of course. Why? You’re starting to worry me.”

“Sorry, it’s just that Freddie’s out and I wanted to talk to you about, y’know, the thing, before he gets back.”

“Ohh,” Roger said with understanding. “Okay, sure. Have you decided how you’re gonna pop the question?”

“No,” he said, using his free hand to fiddle with the end of his curls nervously. “I know I want to do it in private, but that’s about it. But before I decide, there’s a little bit of a problem.”

“And what’s that?”

“Well, I haven’t got a ring yet and I don’t know what kind he’d like. I don’t want to get him something he hates.”

Roger hummed thoughtfully. “I see what you mean. I’m glad you came to me for help, since your abysmal fashion sense would probably get something awful for him.”

Brian wished his glare could be seen through the phone. “I could just call John and tell him about this and get his advice,” he threatened.

“Hell no!” Roger protested.

“He actually has experience with this,” Brian thought aloud, and...yeah, he should have asked John about this instead. His instinct always told him to go to Roger.

“I’m just as reasonable as John,” Roger grumbled.  _ “You _ called  _ me  _ out of the blue, so now you’re gonna listen.”

“All right, fair. What do you think? I can’t decide if he’d like something flashy and elaborate, or plain.”

“Flashy and elaborate is Fred’s thing, usually. But some of that’s just for show. He likes making a statement and keeping up with the times, but that look might go away in a few years.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” he said, and glad, in a way, to hear confirmation that his worries weren’t far-fetched and that this call wasn’t a stupid idea. “I don’t want wearing it to be a chore for him.”

“But you don’t want him to be disappointed by something too simple, either,” Roger said.

“Exactly,” he said emphatically, starting to feel a little better by talking about this. “You see what the dilemma is, then.”

“I do,” he said, sounding a touch sympathetic. “I can’t act like I’d know what to do. But you’re forgetting that he loves gifts, in general. You can give him a cupcake with a candle on it for his birthday and he’d get excited.”

Brian stopped fiddling with his hair, and thought of the pleased little smile Freddie would get whenever someone thought of him enough to give him a gift. “That’s true,” he pondered.

“So I understand what you’re saying, but you’re thinking too hard about it. He’ll be happy with whatever you give him.”

He was unsatisfied with that answer. “But this is more than a simple gift,” he pointed out. “It’s even more than a birthday gift. I don’t want him to accept it reluctantly and only wear it because he has to.”

“Freddie never wears something he doesn’t like.”

“Then I don’t want him to never wear it,” he said, getting exasperated. “This is a ring I want him to be happy with wearing for the rest of his life, Rog. Or at least until it’s replaced with a wedding band.”

There was a gasp on the phone line.

Brian’s eyes widened and his heart stopped. That didn’t sound like Roger. Why would that be Roger? Brian said nothing that would shock him.

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

“Brian, was that you?” Roger asked cautiously.

His heart instantly kicked into high gear and hammered so quickly that its pounding beats could be felt in his throat and fingertips where he tightly gripped the phone. “No,” he said breathlessly. It wasn’t Roger. Someone else was listening in. It could only be

* * *

The sound of a click made Brian jump.

“Brian,” Roger said sternly, “go talk to him. Now.” He hung up.

The dial tone played in Brian’s ear. He was paralyzed with fear.  _ He heard. He knows.  _ The flat was silent, no sound of footsteps, no sound of shopping bags hitting the floor. Both occupants in the flat were frozen. Finally, Brian rose to his feet and put the phone on its receiver with a trembling hand. It was almost like his mind was blank with panic. But he had to leave the bedroom. This wasn’t something they could pretend didn’t happen.

As if in a fog, Brian opened the bedroom door and walked the few short steps around the corner in their small flat to the sitting room, where Freddie stood, strongly resembling a deer caught in headlights. His already-large brown eyes were huge and his hands were clasped in front of his chest. He was, indeed, standing next to the small table beside the sofa with their other telephone on it. There were two shopping bags abandoned on the sofa cushions next to Freddie’s jacket. The only expression on Freddie’s face was shock as he stared and stared with those huge eyes, which made him look young and slightly afraid.

Brian was bloody terrified. The jitters he felt when going up to perform in front of a crowd for the first time were nothing compared to this. Was their relationship about to crumble before his very eyes? It was the damn  _ silence  _ that truly unnerved him, because Freddie wasn’t saying a single thing and it made him feel like he was going to run to the kitchen sink and vomit.

Brian swallowed hard, and said the first thing to come to mind. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.” His voice was strained from the tightness of his throat. He cleared it.

Freddie blinked, the first movement he made since Brian came into the room. His gaze darted to the floor, and he shrunk in on himself, his arms lowering but hands staying clasped. He looked shy in a way Brian hadn’t seen in years. “Sorry,” he whispered.

Freddie’s reaction gave him nothing to work with, nothing to indicate what he thought of getting engaged, and Brian was dangerously close to falling apart. He had no ring, no plan, but there was Freddie, standing there and not looking at him and knowing the truth. “How much did you hear?” Brian managed to ask.

“I started listening when Roger said I’d be happy with anything you’d give me,” he said, his eyes glued to the floor and voice small as ever.

“Why’d you even start listening in?” Brian asked, a hint of anger entering his voice from being so on edge.

He licked his lips. “It’s...it’s a small flat, so when I came in, I heard your voice. You sounded distressed. I don’t know why I didn’t come in and ask you, I only...I don’t know. I don’t know,” he repeated, sounding ashamed.

Despite everything, pain tugged at Brian’s heart from seeing Freddie be upset. The little bit of anger he felt went away, and he was crestfallen as the situation set in. “I wanted to do something nice for you,” he said, voice rough. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want it, so that’s why I was talking to Ro—”

“Did you mean it?” Freddie’s eyes snapped to his, the volume of his voice rising.

Brian’s eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

There was determination in his eyes now, having mustered up courage and pushed past his bashfulness. “Were you actually going to buy a ring?”

Brian took a deep breath. His father’s voice in his head told him to be a man. He lifted his chin. “Yes,” he said.

Freddie looked away, to the wall, and then back at Brian. He was skeptical. “Really?” he asked.

“Yes,” he said in confusion. “Why would I be talking to Roger on the phone about buying a ring if I didn’t mean it?”

Freddie shrugged one shoulder and looked at the wall again. He sniffed. “I don’t know,” he mumbled.

Brian remembered what Roger said, and he realized that Freddie wasn’t convinced. There was a part of him waiting for the other shoe to drop, and Brian to tell him it was a joke, or that the ring was only meant to be a little something and not an engagement ring. There was always, always that part of Freddie convinced he couldn’t be loved. Brian’s chest constricted painfully, and the urge to comfort Freddie outweighed his own embarrassment and apprehension. The truth was out, there was no point in backtracking, so Brian might as well tell him what he felt. Get it all out in the open so there was no way Freddie could doubt how much he was loved.

“Freddie,” he said gently. “Of course I meant it. I would never be anything but serious about this.”

Freddie didn’t move or say anything.

Brian took a couple of steps forward, his socked feet padding on the carpet. “I wanted to plan this out and give you a ring, but I’ll tell you now.” He tried to think of where to begin, but somewhere in the back of his mind, Roger was telling him he was thinking too hard and to  _ just bloody get on with it, Brian. _ “I love you, and I know I’ll never stop. I couldn’t stop loving you if I tried.” 

Freddie pressed his lips together.

Brian took another step forward, and carefully took Freddie’s wrists and tugged until his hands were free. 

Freddie’s face was still turned away, but he put up no resistance.

Brian gulped, and he was sweating like crazy. “Loving you is so easy,” he breathed. “You’ve no idea.”

Freddie’s eyes fluttered shut.

“I wanna love you every day.” Brian took his soft hands in his. “No one’s ever made me as happy as you,” he told him sincerely. “I don’t want this,” he squeezed his hands, “us, to end. I don’t know where Queen will take us, but if, or when, it ends one day, I want us to keep going no matter what.”

Freddie was breathing heavier now, his shoulders moving up and down visibly with each breath.

It was a strange feeling, having so much anxiety in his chest while pure adoration was entering his heart. “Freddie…” This was happening. He was doing this. “This might seem a little fast, but you’ve already changed my life for the better in so many ways. Why not one more?” Brian held his hands and lowered himself down on one knee.

Now Freddie looked at him, eyes wide and astonished again, like he couldn’t believe this was happening, and his full lips parted. From this angle, his long, black hair framed his face perfectly, and Brian would never forget how beautiful Freddie looked in this moment.

He felt stinging at the corner of his eye, but pushed forward. “I’m sorry this is so informal, but Freddie, honey,” he said, his soft voice thick with tenderness. “I love you so much. Will you marry me?”

Freddie retracted one of his hands to put it over his mouth, and he shut his eyes tightly. When he opened them, they glistened, and he nodded frantically.

Instantly overcome with relief, Brian almost lost his balance and fell backwards, but instead energy was injected into his veins and he sprung up to gather Freddie into his arms as quickly as possible. He hugged him tightly, and when he closed his eyes, two warm tears rolled down his cheeks. He spent so many weeks filled with dread that utter joy burst in his chest. “Oh, Freddie,” his voice quivered, and then he was pressing kisses to his hair, his temple, his forehead, his cheeks. “Thank you, baby, thank you.”

_ “Brian,”  _ Freddie’s voice broke, his hands clutching the front of Brian’s shirt tightly.

Brian hushed him and cupped his cheeks, his skin wet under his palms, and he kissed him soundly. Freddie kissed him back, and he was opening his mouth and deepening the kiss immediately. It was fast and urgent, and a bubble of desperate energy rose up in both of them. Brian had imagined making love to Freddie in their bed after he said yes, but they didn’t make it past the sofa, pushing off the shopping bags without care. Freddie was pressing hot, sucking kisses to the long column of Brian’s throat, straddling his thin hips and settling on his thighs. His hands unbuttoned Brian’s shirt and ran over his chest, his fingers rubbing his nipples as his tongue swirled over the sensitive skin of his neck. It was a whirlwind of touches and love bites, but Brian wasn’t complaining, and his hazy brain knew what Freddie was doing, knew his need to feel like he was being good for Brian when he got really emotional. He had a hunch that this was what Freddie needed right now, and settled on fucking him later. Besides, it was easy to tip his head back on the sofa and let Freddie tease his neck and roll their hips together.

It didn’t take much grinding together for Brian to feel Freddie’s erection against his and for them both to be hard and aching. They couldn’t even wait to fully undress—their shirts were gone and their zippers were undone, but Freddie wouldn’t let go of Brian long enough for anything else. Brian gripped his hips tightly and recaptured Freddie’s mouth as they thrust faster, their bodies desperate for each other. Brian nipped and sucked at his full lower lip and heat was throbbing in his bollocks, little jolts of electricity moving down his cock as they rocked together. He was wet and leaking inside of his pants already. Freddie’s heavy breaths turned into a whine, and Brian pulled back to look at his face.

Freddie’s brow was furrowed up in pleasure and a fierce blush was on his cheeks. He moaned when Brian cupped his jaw and dipped his thumb into his mouth. Freddie closed his eyes and sucked, and Brian groaned and thrust up harder, the sensation of Freddie’s wet lips closed around his thumb going straight to his cock. He was close, and Freddie was as gorgeous as ever, and he said  _ yes, _ he could have him like this  _ forever.  _ Fuck, Brian wasn’t going to last. He was always so damn attracted to Freddie, but when he was in a particularly loving mood? He was sure he could come just from looking at him.

“You’re so sexy like this,” Brian told him. 

Freddie’s eyes fluttered open.

Brian took his thumb away and cupped his cheek, his other hand gripping Freddie’s hip even tighter so he didn’t fall off his lap. If there were skin-to-skin contact between them instead of Brian’s cock being restricted by his pants and jeans, he probably would have come by now, truth be told, because he didn’t think he was ever this desperate for Freddie, and that was saying a lot. 

Freddie stared directly into his eyes, his lithe body moving in time with Brian’s thrusts. He placed a hand on his chest, right over his heart. “I love you, Bri,” he said, and the tone of his voice was entirely sweet, a juxtaposition to the heated movements of their hips. 

But it was precisely that earnest declaration which drove Brian over the edge. His jaw dropped with a gasp as pleasure finally burst and he came in his pants, his hips moving erratically. Freddie grasped his shoulders tightly to keep his balance and a few thrusts later, his kiss-swollen mouth was forming a perfect O-shape as he moaned loudly and came, his thighs trembling. He couldn’t support himself and collapsed on top of Brian, hugging him close and panting into the crook of his neck. It wasn’t the strongest orgasm either of them ever had, given the speed of what they’d done, but sometimes frantic was what they needed. 

Brian lay there panting with his eyes closed for a few moments, his arms reaching up to loosely wrap around Freddie. Their hearts beat steadily against one another. It was bliss. He felt lighter than air, and his mind wasn’t running a mile a minute for once. It was a peace he rarely knew. His body was pleasantly heavy, and the weight on his chest was comforting. He could lie here with a Freddie-shaped-blanket on him all afternoon. He wanted to do that, actually. It was one of his favorite ways to spend the day. He felt a shift, and then fingers brushed his sweaty curls away from his forehead. He lazily opened his eyes.

Freddie was grinning at him fondly, showing some of his teeth. His features were relaxed and open. “Hi.”

Brian smiled back. “Hey.”.

“Are you uncomfortable? Do you want me to get off?”

His face was still close enough so Brian barely had to lift his head to kiss the tip of his nose. They probably should get up to change out of their sticky pants, but, oh well. “Stay right where you belong,” he murmured.

Freddie’s face brightened and he wiggled happily in his arms. He kissed his upper lip chastely. “That was good.”

“Mmmhm.”

“I can’t believe you talked to Roger about buying a ring!” mirth twinkled in his eyes. “Actually, I can’t believe he didn’t tell me you were planning this.”

“I would’ve killed him otherwise.”

“Does John know?”

“No. I only told Roger because he asked what was on my mind back at Ridge Farm.”

Freddie kissed his cheek. “Were you stressed about this, darling?”

He huffed. “What do you think?” He gave him a little squeeze. “You’re lucky you’re cute or else I’d be cross with you for eavesdropping.”

Freddie looked a little guilty, but not much. “But it worked out so well in the end,” he said happily.

Brian had to agree, his heart feeling like warm goo in his chest as he gazed at his fiancé. His  _ fiancé.  _

As if reading his mind, Freddie’s smile widened. “We’re going to get married,” he said in quiet wonder.

“We are,” Brian said, not quite believing how happy he felt.

“If you haven’t got a ring yet, can I pick it out?” Freddie asked hopefully.

As if Brian could deny him. “Sure. It’ll make my life easier, anyway.”

“Great!” He shot up off the sofa. “Let’s change out of these clothes and go.”

“What,  _ now?”  _ Brian asked, instantly missing his warmth. He’d wanted to spend the rest of the day alternating between dozing and fucking. “You just went shopping,” he said as if Freddie couldn’t shop all day long.

“This is different!” Freddie called, already in their room and changing his clothes. “No need to wait now that we’re engaged.”

Brian yawned and sat up, telling himself they could shag again later. They could shag while Freddie wore the ring. The image of tightly holding Freddie’s hands with a ring on his finger while he was being fucked into the mattress made Brian get up and change his pants with a pep in his step.

* * *

In the end, Freddie chose a relatively simple ring after all. It was silver with a single small, but tasteful diamond in the middle. “Simplicity never goes out of fashion,” he said, and they both knew that actually having a wedding was probably quite some time away, given they both felt that a turning point for Queen was on the horizon with their upcoming album. With that in mind, Freddie said he wanted to ensure the ring didn’t go out of style, no matter how much time passed, “because I always want to wear it,” he told Brian with a giddy smile.

Brian had no complaints, and got him home as soon as possible after so he could live out his fantasy of being inside Freddie while he stared at the shiny new ring on his finger, a symbol that he belonged to Brian now. He was his.

“You’re mine,” Brian whispered hotly in his ear, his hips rolling a deliciously slow rhythm so Freddie could feel the drag of his cock along his inner walls.

Freddie squirmed beneath him, moaning. “I always have been.”

Brian’s eye caught the shine of silver, and he made Freddie gasp with a harder thrust. “Now there’s proof,” he growled.

They, more or less, spent the next couple of days living in their bedroom, only leaving to use the loo and eat. They hadn’t even called anyone to tell them, and Brian forgot that Roger might want to know what happened. Freddie loved having sex, but even he got worn out after awhile and had to recharge. It was the late afternoon and they were in the same position as when this started. Brian was lying on his back in their bed, his arms securely around Freddie as he slept on his chest. This time, though, Freddie’s hand was curled up next to his mouth, and Brian couldn’t stop staring at the ring.  _ Mine.  _ His love. His fiancé.

The doorbell’s ring cut through the peace of the bedroom.

Freddie snuffled and tried to burrow deeper into Brian’s chest.

He chuckled and carefully arranged Freddie so he lay on his side. “Lemme see who that is,” Brian murmured, pulling the sheets over him. “I’ll be back in a moment, baby.”

Freddie didn’t respond, his eyes staying shut the whole time, and Brian wondered if he truly woke up at all. He tucked a stray lock of black hair behind his ear and forced himself to leave the bed. He quickly pulled on a pair of boxers and went to the front door, intending to poke his head out and see who it was and then get back to bed, but when he opened the door, Roger and John greeted him with a bottle of champagne and a holler.

“Guys?” Brian raised his eyebrows, and the door was pushed open by Roger, who then rolled his eyes.

“We waited two whole days and you’re still barely dressed,” he sighed in mock-disappointment. “You two don’t stop for a second, huh.”

“If we’d come yesterday, he probably would’ve been naked,” John cringed.

“Good thing you said we should wait,” Roger said.

Brian crossed his arms over his chest with a sigh. “Don’t make me kick you two out.”

“We’ve got booze!” Roger held up the champagne, and then pulled Brian down in a one-armed hug. “Congratulations, mate.”

“Congratulations, Brian,” John smiled.

Brian smiled too, but added with a snort, “How were you so sure it went well?”

Roger pulled back. “Because neither of you came crying to either of us after I hung up on you,” he explained with a shrug. “If it’d gone to shit, we definitely would’ve heard about it.”

The noise must have been enough to awaken Freddie, because he entered the sitting room with pants and one of Brian’s T-shirts, which went down past his hips. He was yawning and rubbing his eye with his knuckle, his hair messy, and Brian wanted to kick Roger and John out and take him back to bed.

But Freddie beamed when he saw them. “Ooh, is that bottle for us?” He ran over to Roger and John and hugged them, and started showing off his ring excitedly, like a little puppy.

In a flurry, glasses were gathered from the kitchen, champagne was poured, and Roger was raising his glass high in the air.

“To the lovebirds!” he declared. 

Freddie giggled and slotted himself against Brian’s side.

He put his arm around him and they clinked glasses, and Brian still, days later, had a hard time believing how happy he felt.

“To Brian finally doing something right in his life!” Roger said after taking a drink.

The three of them drank to that while Brian said, “Fuck off!” with a smile.

“To John Reid paying for your honeymoon,” John said.

Brian and Freddie wholeheartedly agreed and drank to that. Things dissolved a bit after that, from toasting to cats to Roger toasting to the thong Freddie would wear for Brian on their honeymoon. That caused Freddie to squeak indignantly and begin to jokingly insult Roger, and somehow, after an unknown amount of time, they were all lying on the sofa in a drunken tangle of legs. Freddie was snuggled into Brian’s side with his head on his shoulder, with Roger’s feet in his lap and John’s feet in Brian’s lap.

Conversation flowed easily between them, despite their increasingly slurred words as they drank more and more, but it felt like old times, back when they were all crammed together in one flat, trying to get their first album produced. Their days of uni and work were hard, but at night they’d stay up and talk about their dreams of really making it. Well, Freddie and Roger were sure they’d make it, but Brian and John would sit back and indulge them while secretly being unsure, but something felt different about the album they just completed. Only time would tell if they were right, but tonight, they laid together and talked as four friends.

“Now they’ll never stop being mushy with each other now,” Roger bemoaned with a hiccup.

“Like they were ever gonna stop,” John said, his head lolling on the arm of the sofa.

“You helped me propose,” Brian pointed out to Roger.

“Just don’t turn our albums into nothin’ but love songs!” he threatened.

“Course not,” Brian swore.

“Hey, I get to be your best man, right, Fred?” Roger nudged him with his elbow.

Freddie smirked into Brian’s shoulder. “I was thinking of Deacy, actually.”

“What?!” he yelled in outrage.

Freddie was unable to keep a straight face.

“I’m not gettin’ in the middle of this,” John mumbled.

“And he’ll be the godfather to our child, as well!” Freddie declared, dissolving into giggles.

“Like you’d wanna have Brian’s kid,” John said. “It’d be all tall and gangly, like birthing Bambi.”

Freddie and Roger cackled loudly as Brian blushed and sat up straight, a little offended but too drunk not to join in with the laughter. None of them bothered to point out that neither of them could get pregnant in the first place.

“Piss off,” Brian told John. “You and Rog are dis-invited to the wedding.”

“Don’t be grumpy, love,” Freddie kissed his cheek, at ease and happily drunk. Then, he knocked his foot into Roger’s, the movement too light and sloppy to be called a kick. “But listen, you two. After we’re married I shan’t toler-tolah—I won’t stand you being mean to be husband,” he slurred, dropping his head onto Brian’s shoulder again.

“Eh, I love ya to bits, Fred, but I’ve been makin’ fun of Bri before you two even met,” Roger waved a hand. “I’m not gonna stop.”

They started bickering playfully, but Brian’s mind was caught on a loop of Freddie referring to him as his  _ husband.  _ He was going to be Freddie’s husband. Freddie was going to be his husband. Husbands. Husband and husband.

“Oh, great, we’ve lost Bri now,” John said, sitting up on his elbows. “Lovey-dovey eyes alert.”

Freddie looked up at him fondly. “Darling?”

Brian blinked back to reality, and smiled softly at Freddie. His future husband. Maybe he’d had a little too much to drink, but Freddie still looked sweet and soft in his T-shirt and messy hair, and he couldn’t stop smiling because this sweetheart was going to be his husband. 

“Yeah, babe?” Brian asked.

“Uh oh,” Roger said, swinging his legs off the edge of the sofa. “I know that look. He’s either gonna snuggle Freddie or shag him,” he accused, saying  _ “snuggle” _ with ridicule and exasperation.

“Both, in reverse order,” John said, beginning to get off the sofa.

Freddie’s drunken, pink flush brightened. “Well, can you blame him? We just got engaged.”

“I’m still in the room, you know,” Brian said, but couldn’t deny that John was completely correct.

“We better evacuate now,” John said to Roger, trying to sound serious but messing it up with a giggle at the end.

Roger got his sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on. “Let’s hurry, Deacy. It’s only a matter of time before they start up again.”

“Oh, stop being dramatic,” Brian said as Freddie giggled into his neck.

“‘Realistic’ is the better word,” John said under his breath. He and Roger got their things and made their goodbyes, saying they’d see them soon to promote the new album.

After they left, Freddie gazed up at Brian with his big eyes. “Shag and snuggle?” he asked hopefully.

Brian smirked, the first sparkle of arousal igniting in him. He lifted Freddie’s hand to his lips and kissed the ring. “Shag and snuggle,” he confirmed, and kissed him soundly on the mouth.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr under the same username :)


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